India
Woman believed to be dead wakes up shortly before cremation
Cremation of Covid victims in India. Hindus are burned on pyres like these after death
© Manish Rajput/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire / DPA
A woman in India was supposed to be cremated, but then the 52-year-old suddenly opened her eyes. The woman believed to be dead was not dead at all. This is not the first incident of this kind.
It must have been a terrible surprise for the relatives: a woman her husband thought was dead apparently narrowly escaped being cremated. Shortly before the 52-year-old was to be burned, she opened her eyes, reported “Times of India”. The incident occurred near the city of Berhampur in the east of the country.
Her 54-year-old husband had arranged for his wife to be cremated. According to the report, she was taken to the hospital in early February for severe burns. However, after returning home, her condition worsened again – but further treatment in hospital was not possible due to the couple’s poor financial situation.
On Monday, the woman no longer opened her eyes and no longer breathed. “We thought she was dead and arranged a hearse to take her to the crematorium,” the 54-year-old husband told The Times of India.
Relatives and residents react in shock
A local resident who accompanied the alleged body told the newspaper that they had almost finished setting up the pyre when the woman, who was believed to be dead, opened her eyes and responded to the shouts of others. “That shocked us. At first we were afraid; we had never seen anything like that before.” When it was confirmed that the 52-year-old was actually alive, she was brought home.
A death certificate is not necessary for locals to carry out the cremation ritual, according to the Times. Cremation ceremonies are common in India for deceased Hindus and take place on the day of death. They are laid out on a pyre at a cremation ground and set alight. The skull is then opened to release the soul. After a few days, the ashes are scattered into water, for example into a river.
It is not the first incident of this kind in India: in 2021, a 76-year-old woman who had previously contracted the coronavirus was also scheduled to be cremated. According to media reports, she also only woke up shortly before the cremation.
Sources: “Times of India”, Planet knowledge, Maple group